Public management involves leading, coordinating, and stimulating public agencies and programs to deliver excellent performance. Research and practice of public management have developed rapidly in recent years, drawing on the fields of public policy, public administration, and business management. In carrying out their crucial roles in shaping what government delivers, public managers today must confront daunting challenges imposed by shifting policy agendas, constrained financial resources combined with with constant public demands for a rich array of public services, and increasing interdependence among public, private, and third-sector institutions and actors. At the same time, these challenges and other developments offer exciting opportunities for improving knowledge and practice in public management, for the benefit of everyone. In this volume, leading scholars contribute advances in the theory, methods, and practice in this burgeoning field.

The selections address four key topics:-The nature and impact of public management;-Creative new methods for public management research;-Reform, reinvention, innovation, and change;-New models and frameworks for understanding and improving public management Jeffrey L. Brudney, Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr., and Hal G. Rainey are professors of political science and public administration at the University of Georgia.

Reviews
"Anyone interested in assessing the vitality and strength of the field of public management need look no farther than this book. There is no orthodoxy here. Indeed, the book is a far-ranging and provocative exploration of the issues in play—and the big puzzles that remain to be solved."—Donald F. Kettl, professor of public affairs and political science, La Follette Institute of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This is a splendid collection of essays, theory development and empirical research by many of the leading scholars in public administration and policy. It should be required reading for anyone wishing to be up-to-date in public administration and policy."—George Frederickson, professor of public adminstration, University of Kansas

6. The Art of Partnering across Sectors: The Influence of Centrality Strategies of State R&D ProjectsGordon Kingsley, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Julia Melkers, Georgia State University

7. Stories from the Front Lines of Public Managment: Street-Level Workers as Responsible ActorsSteven Maynard-Moody, University of Kansas, and Suzanne Leland, Kansas State UniversityPart III: Reform, Reinvention, Innovation and Change

8. Making Sense of ChangeEugene B. McGregor, Jr., Indiana University

9. Local Heroes? Reinvention Labs in the Department of DefenseMark T. Green, University of Colorado at Denver, Lawrence R. Jones, Naval Postgraduate School, and Fred Thompson, Willamette University

10. Reforming State Social Services through Contracting: Linking Implementation and Organizational CultureBarbara S. Romzek and Jocelyn M. Johnston, University of Kansas

11. Quasi Markets and Strategic Change in Public OrganizationsJames R. Thompson, University of Illinois-Chicago